Cushion rack arrangement



July 19, 1966 J, GUTRIDGE 3,261,306

CUSHION RACK ARRANGEMENT Filed Aug. 12, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 'INVENTOF1 JACK E. 'GUTR'IDGE BY 5% XMLLIM ATT'YS July 19, 1966 J. E. GUTRIDGECUSHION RACK ARRANGEMENT 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 12, 1964 IN VENTORJACK E. GUTRIDGE KW W 49 ATT'YS BYM July 19, 1966 J. E. GUTRIDGE CUSHIONRACK ARRANGEMENT Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 12, 1964 INVENTOR JACK E.GUTRIDGE BY W, L 9 ATT'YS y 966 J. E. GUTRIDGE 3,261,306

CUSHION RACK ARRANGEMENT w W; A M ATT'YS July 19, 1966 J. E. GUTRIDGE3,261,306

CUSHION RACK ARRANGEMENT Filed Aug. 12, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 a5 96 9s77 77 fas 96 um. (Y

INVENTOR JACK E. GUTRIDGE 4 AQ ATT'YS July 19, 1966 J. E. GUTRIDGECUSHION RACK ARRANGEMENT 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Aug. 12, 1964 INVENTORJACK E. GUTR/DGE 40 ATT'YS United States Patent 3,261,306 CUSHION RACKARRANGEMENT Jack E. Gutridge, Dyer, Ind., assignor to PullmanIncorporated, Chicago, lill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 12,1964, Ser. No. 389,009 3 Claims. (Q1. 105-368) The present inventionrelates to a new and improved cushion rack arrangement, particularlyadapted for use in railway cars designed for piggybackatype ladingoperations. More specifically, the present invention is directed to anew and improved railway car cushion rackassembly and lading attachmentcomponents therefor, the cushion rack assembly being particularlyadaptable for being unifiormly loaded to transmit and distribute theload to the car underframe. In the present design, the cushion rack isusable with containerized lading and other piggyhack-types of ladingwhile requiring a minimum of special types of lading attachment meansand the like which permits substantially universal use of the car.

The transportation industry as a whole has long recognized theadvantages to be gained by a lading system that could be easily andeconomically adapted to accommodate all Qlf the existing forms of ladingregardless 'of length or size. Attempts at designing a universal-typerailway car to accommodate all forms of piggyback lading have notachieved that degree of success that is sought in the transportationindustry. To a large degree these attempts have fallen short because ofan inherent lack of flexibility in the proposed car constructions or ifapparently successful in the design stage, the car construction exceedsall reasonable limits as to cost when manufacturing is considered.

Additional problems are presented by the necessity for an expensivemodification of railroad yard facilities or the necessity of re-varnpingexisting piggyback facilities to accommodate the loading operation. Inmost instances, the existing type of car designs, with few exceptions,do not allow for handling various sizes and shapes of containerizedlading without requiring additional components which not only add to theinitial cost, but to the deadweight of the car with a consequentreduction in pay load. It has been found that simplicity and flexibilityof any design is most desirable since it is most adaptable to differentforms of containerized lading while being more economical than thecomplex predecessor designs.

The advantages and benefits obtained by the novel car and cushioned rackconstruction of the present invention will become more readilyunderstood when consideration is given to the objects to be attained,and a detailed description of the novel construction to achieve thesame.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improvedrailway car having a novel cushion rack thereon which adapts the railwaycar for universal use with diverse types of containerized lading units.

Another object 'of the invention is to provide a new and improvedrailway car design adapted for use in piggyback lading operation, thecar being of a simplified and flexible design and mounting an improvedcushion rack arrangement to accommodate a Wide variety of forms andtypes of containerized lading units.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedcushion rack arrangement which includes means to support containerizedlading units at closely spaced points in order to uniformly distributethe loads over the car length, and in addition, to provide fifth wheelassemblies which cooperate in a novel manner with the cushion rackarrangement.

Still a durther object of the invention is to provide a cushion rackdesign which is particularly adapted for mounting over the center sillof the railway car in ver- 'ice tical load transmitting relationship toa top cover plate joining spaced vertical web portions, with the rackbeing freely movable to accommodate and cushion impacts applied in .buffand draft while retaining uniform load distribution.

Other objects not specifically set forth will become readily apparentfrom the following detailed description of the invention made inconjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a broken perspective view of a railway car having a cushionrack arrangement of the present invention thereon;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken through the deep section of thecar of FIG. 1 with a container shown in phantom lines and the wheels ofa piggyback-type highway trailer also shown in broken phantom lines;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view through a portion of the rackillustrating a modified form of cushioning means;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view taken along the lines 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view in perspective of a tfiragrnentaryportion of a railroad car having a modified [form of cushion rackthereon;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective View of a shear holster mounted on afragmentary central portion of the cushion rack of FIG. 1 with portionsof a container lockinig pin arrangement shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the manner of attaching theshear bolster of FIG. 6 shown in broken phantom lines to one side of therack which is also shown fragmentarily in phantom;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged free body iragmentary perspective view of one endof the container pin locking arrangement which is shown in dotted linesand solid lines in the left-hand portion of the perspective view of FIG.6;

FIG. 9 is a broken top plan view of the shear bolster of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a broken longitudinal elevational view of the shear bolsterof FIG. 9 with the cushioned rack and portions of the car illustrated infragmentary cross section;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 10, illustrating theshear bolster arrangement as applied to the modified form of cushionrack assembly illustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged free body perspective view of a cushion elementused in the modified rack assembly of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a view taken along the lines 13-13 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 14 is a skeletal plan View of a modified method of securingcontainerized lading to the cushion rack arrangements;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view of a fifth wheel stand mountedon the car and having a diagonal brace portion detachably connected tothe cushion rack;

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the stand and rack ofFIG. 15 on a reduced scale;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary free body perspective view of the diagonalbrace and rack attachment portion of the fifth wheel stand assembly; and

FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the lines 18-18of FIG. 16.

In the broken perspective view of FIG. 1, 10 generally denotes a railwaycar of the flat deck variety having standard couplers 11 and 12 mountedin the usual manner at opposite ends. The railway car 10 includes a fiatdeck portion 13 which may be joined to downwardly extending marginaledge portions 14 and 15.

A cushion rack assembly 16 is mounted on the fiat deck 13, and includesa pair of spaced fixed support members 17 and 18 joined to the flat deckportion 13 on opposite sides of the car center line and extendingsubstantially longitudinally continuous from one end of the car to theother. A pair of movable support members 19 and 20 are mounted invertical load bearing relationship to the fixed members 17 and 18, andas will become apparent hereinafter, are free for longitudinalreciprocating movement between predetermined limits. Suitable means areprovided for attachment of various types of containerized lading to thecushion rack arrangement 16, including collapsible fifth wheel standassemblies 21 and 22, mounted between the movable support members 19 and20 to accommodate highway trailers and the like. Additional means areprovided for mounting containerized lading units in a manner to transmitacceleration forces to the movable support members 19 and 20. Thecontainerized lading units are received in vertical load bearingrelationship on the upwardly facing continuous support surfaces of themovable support members 19 and 20 for movement thereof relative to thefixed support members 17 and 18. The magnitude and rate of such movementmay be controlled by a cushion means, such as the hydraulic cushioningarrangement indicated generally at 23.

A pair of ttranverse brace members 24 and 25, in engagement withopposite ends, actuate the hydraulic cushion means 23 regardless of thedirection of impact, :as- 'suming of course that the magnitude of theforce is sufficient to overcome the resistance of the cushion means 23.As will become apparent, other forms of cushion means can be used withthe cushion rack arrangement of the present invention.

As is best seen in FIG. 1, the railway car includes a box-like centersill 26, provided with suitable crossbe-arers and crossties at spacedintervals to support the deck or floor sheets forming the longitudinallycontinuous flat deck 13. The usual wheel truck assemblies 27 and 28 areprovided at opposite ends of the car 10 to support the center sill atspaced points in a well known manner.

A typical cross sectional view taken through the center or deep sectionof the car is illustrated in FIG. 2. The box-like center sill 26includes spaced vertical side web portions 29 and 30 which are joined attheir lower marginal edges to a bottom cover plate 31 by welding or anysuitable equivalent method of fastening. The upper marginal edges of theside web portions 29 and 30 may be joined by a separate top cover plate(not shown) or as illustrated in FIG. 2 are joined by the floor sheetform-- ing the flat deck portion 13.

Solid web cross-bearer members 32 and 33 are joined to the side webportions 29 and 30 of the center sill and are provided with the lowermarginal edge rolled into laterally projecting flanges to increase therigidity thereof. The usual side sills 33 and 34 join the crossbearersto lend support to the flat deck 13 in the area of the wheel trackportions, while side stringers 35 and 36 extend continuously along theouter edges of the cross-bearers beneath the flat deck portion 13.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the fixed support members 17 and 18are mounted on the flat deck 13, generally extending longitudinally inthe area directly above the side web portions 29 and 30 to enhance theload bearing characteristics of the car. On opposite sides of each ofthe fixed support members 17 and 18, retainer blocks 37 and 38 arewelded at spaced intervals from one end of the car to the other.Obviously, if desired, each of the retainer blocks 37 and 38 may becontinuous throughout the length of the car however, in the interest ofeconomy and minimizing the total dead weight of the car it has beenfound that providing retainer blocks 37 and 38 at spaced intervals insufficient to perform the retaining function.

The upper surface of each of the retainer blocks 37 and 38 engages theunderside of the movable support members 19 and 28 for supporting theload and in addition serves to retain the same to the car by theunderside of each co-operating with flange portions 39 and 40, and 41and 42, formed on each of the movable support members 19 and 28respectively. It is contemplated that the retainer blocks 37 and 38 maybe formed of material which is less resistant to abrasion than themovable support members 19 and 20 so that as the movable support members19 and 20 reciprocate relative to the fixed support members 17 and 18,any wear occurring will be confined to the retainer blocks 37 and 38.More simply stated, the upper load bearing surfaces of the retainerblocks 37 and 38 may be considered to be sacrificial surfaces toaccommodate wear during reciprocation of the movable support members 19and 20.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, cushioning of the rack is performed by the hydrauliccushion means indicated generally at 23. A novel form of cushion meansfound to be equally satisfactory when incorporated readily into thenovel cushion rack design is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this design, thefixed support member 17 receives a draft gear 43 of conventionalconstruction including the usual stack of elastomeric slabs separated bymetallic plate members. The draft gear 43 is mounted internally of thefixed support member 17 and contained by spaced abutment members 44 and45 welded to the deck and fixed support member 17 respectively, andoperatively engageable with one end of the draft gear 43. An identicalpair of abutment blocks 46 and 47 are mounted in an identical manner atthe opposite end of the draft gear to confine the same for reasons tobecome apparent.

A pair of transverse cross bars 48 and 49 are provided at opposite endsof the draft gear 43, extending through elongated openings at 50 and 51provided in opposite sides of the fixed support member 17 and having theopposite ends joined directly to the movable support member 19 above theinturned flanges 39 and 40. As the movable support member 19reciprocates relative to the fixed support member 17 in response toshock loading applied to the couplers 11 and 12, the cross bars 48 and49 compress the draft gear 43 against the appropriate abutment blocksdepending of course, on the direction of travel.

A similar draft gear arrangement is provided in the fixed support member18, the operative association with the movable support 20 beingidentical. Obviously, any number of draft gears may be provided atspaced intervals along the rack assembly on the car to give any desireddegree of travel and respond to forces of any desired magnitude. It isreadily apparent that the use of draft gears as a cushion means providesa comparatively inexpensive substitute for the hydraulic cushion meansshown in FIG. 1 where the car design permits.

Referring once again to FIG. 2, a fragmentary portion of a container isillustrated fragmentarily in phantom and identified by reference numeral52. The container 52. is mounted on the rack so that the transversecross-beams (not shown) normally found beneath the container floor, restdirectly on the movable support members 19 and 20 to provide directsupport to each cross-beam over the entire length of the container. Thevertical forces generated by the static weight of the load in thecontainer 52 is thus distributed from one end to the other beweenadjacent cross-beams directly to the movable support members 19 and 20to maintain the total force per unit area at minimum. As will becomeapparent hereinafter, suitable means is provided to transmit horizontalor acceleration forces acting to reciprocate the container, through therack to the cushion means 23 or the draft gear 43 depending upon whichis used.

Also illustrated in FIG. 2 in phantom lines at 53 and 54 are fragmentaryrepresentations of dual wheels such as might be found on a highwaytrailer or the like. The inside wheel portions are spaced a slightlygreater amount than the movable support members 19 and 29 in order thatthe latter may serve as inside Wheel guides as the highway trailer isdrawn into position on the car. The

inside wheel guides eliminate the necessity of providing usual sideguide portions on the car and thereby contribute to a further reductionin the total dead Weight of the car. The advantages need not be stated.

A still further reduction in the total dead weight of the car may beeffected through the use of a modified form of rack arrangement asexemplified in the fragmentary perspective view of FIG. 5 which alsoillustrates a typical cross section construction in the deep section ofthe car. The cushion rack arrangement of FIG. 5 includes a center sillhaving vertical side web portions 60 and 61 joined at their lower edgesby a bottom cover plate 62. Suitable sheet-like cross-bearers 63 and 64are provided at spaced intervals along the outer surface of the sidewebs 60 and 61 and mount side stringers 65 and 66 forming the downwardlyprojecting edges and 16 as well as side sill members 67 and 68.

The side fioor sheets 69 and 70 are supported by the cross-bearers 63and 64, side sills 67 and 68, and side stringers 65 and 66, with each ofthe side floor sheets 69 extending from the vertically disposed webs 60and 61 across the associated side sill to the side stringer. A top coverplate 71 is provided at the upper marginal edges of the side webs 60 and61 to resist the usual compressive forces above the neutral axis of thebox-like sill section.

The top cover plate 71 is of greater transverse dimension than thespacing between the side webs 60 and 61 providing laterally projectingflange forming portions 72 and 73. The top cover plate forms with theside webs 60 and 61 a stationary support member which slidably receivesmovable support members 74 and 75 which are joined together by suitablecross bracing indicated generally at 76. Each of the movable supports 74and 75 is provided with a load receiving surface which is directlysupported by the fixed support or top cover plate 71. A lower inturnedflange portion 78 on each of the movable support members 74 and 75co-oper-ates with the lateral flanges 72 and 73 to retain the rack tothe top cover plate 71.

Relative movement occurring between the movable support members 74 and75 and the top cover plate 71 is absorbed and dissipated by a suitablecushion means such as that described above. A cross bar 79 extendsthrough elongated slots 80 and 81 in each of the side webs 60 and 61respectively and has the ends joined to the movable support member whilethe central portion is engageable with an end portion 82 of a hydrauliccushion or any other suitable form of cushioning means.

The upwardly facing load supporting surface 77 on each of the movablemembers 74 and 75 provides continuous support over the entire length ofthe car for containerized and similar forms of lading. As Will becomeapparent hereinafter, suitable means is provided to retain the ladingpositioned over the movable support surfaces. In the embodiment of FIG.5, the movable support members 74 and 75 are illustrated as bearingdirectly upon the top cover plate 71 forming the stationary supportmember. Loads received at the surface 77 on each of the movable supportmembers 74 and 75 are transmitted directly through the top cover plateto the side webs 60 and 61.

If desired, :a sacrificial bearing member may be interposed between thetop cover plate 71 and the movable support members 74 and 75 to providea Wear surface. The movable support members 74 and 75 in FIG. 5 alsoserve as an inside wheel guide means in the same fashion as theembodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and described above. In FIG. 5,however, the center sill top cover plate 71 forms the load supporting ornon-movable support member which co-operates directly with the movablesupport members 74 and 75.

Referring to FIGS. 6-8, a shear bolster arrangement is indicatedgenerally by reference numeral 85 and includes a box-like beam 86 havingenlarge-d T-shaped locking housings 87 and 88 at opposite ends. Each ofthe locking housings 87 and 88 includes a later-ally sloped guidesurface which serves to center the container transversely duringloading. Longitudinal guiding is provided by triangular shaped portions89 and 90 formed on the upper surface of the box beam 86.

The shear bolster 85 is attached to the support member 89 throughsuitable hold-down assemblies 91-94. The hold-down assemblies 91 and 92draw the box beam 86 into engagement with the movable support member forreasons to become apparent. Each hold-down arrangement 9194 illustratedin the enlarged perspective view of FIG. 7 includes a J-bolt member 95which passes through the box beam 86 (shown in phantom) and hooksbeneath a plate 97 on the movable support 19 both of which are alsoshown in phantom. A handle nut 96 on each J-bolt draws the box beam 86downwardly on the movable support members. Upstanding portions on thehandle nut 96 on each of the J-bolts 95 are hooked together to preventthe same from working loose once the shear bolster 85 is mounted inposition.

As is more apparent in FIGS. 9, 10 and 13, the J-bolts 95 hook beneath aplate 97 welded to the associated flange 3942 in the support members.When the handle nut 96 is drawn down tight, an annular boss 98 on theunderside of the box beam 86 is positioned within an opening 99 providedin the movable support member 19. Similar openings are provided at 99'and 99" to permit the bolster to be shifted longitudinally of thesupport members 19 and 20 to accommodate containerized lading of varyinglengths.

The upstanding sides of the box beam 36 on the shear bolster 35 areadapted to engage the end of a container resting on the movable supportmembers and for all practical purposes the bolster 85 supports novertical load but merely transmits the longitudinal or horizontal forcesacting on the container to the cushion through the movable supportmembers. These forces are absorbed and dissipated by the cushionarrangement to protect the lading. The hydraulic cushion shown in FIG. 1or the draft gear arrangement described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4may perform the cushioning function. It will become apparent hereinafterthat other forms of cushion means are equally suitable for the rackarrangement shown in FIG. 5.

Referring once again to FIGS. 6 and 8-10, container locking arrangementsare provided in each of the T-shaped locking housings 87 and 88 providedat opposite ends of the shear beam 85. The container lockingarrangements include a centrally disposed rod or shaft 101 mountedwithin the box beam 86 and provided with suitable means to journal thesame for rotation. On each end of the shaft 101 is provided a containerlocking assembly 102 and 103 mounted within each of the locking housings87 and 88. A wrench receiving socket 104 and 105 is provided at oppositeends of the shaft 101 to receive a crank member 106 for manuallyrotating the shaft 101 for reasons to become apparent.

Inwardly of each of the sockets 104 and 105, the shaft 101 is threadedas at 107 with the threads at opposite ends being of opposite hand. Alocking plate 168 mounts container locking pins 109 and 110 at oppositeends and is threadably received on the threaded portion 107 of the shaft101 for moving the container locking pins 109 and 110 axially of theshaft 101. A similar locking plate and locking pin arrangement isprovided at the opposite end of the shaft 101.

It is apparent that rotation of the shaft 101 by means of the crank 106in the appropriate direction moves the container locking pins 109 and110 into engagement with the usual locking apertures provided in thecontainer corner casting. Once engaged, the pins serve to prevent thecontainer from lifting off the movable support surfaces 19 and 20. Thepins also hold the end of the con-tainer in engagement with the sides ofthe box beam 86 forming a part of the shear bolster 85. For sake ofeconomy in manufacture of the bolsters it is contemplated that they willbe manufactured in the form shown and suitable for use at the center andends of the car. Obviously, if a specially adapted end bolster isdesired, the locking pins and guide surfaces on one side of the box beam86 may be omitted.

In FIGS. 11 and 12 is shown a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional viewof the railway car shown in the fragmentary perspective view in FIG. 5.In this embodiment, the shear bolster 85 co-operates with the movablesupport members 74 and '75 through an annular disk 98 positioned withinannular openings 111 formed in each of the upwardly facing supportsurfaces '77. Suitable hook engaging plates 97 are provided on themovable support members 74 and 75 beneath the flange 78 to permit theJ-bolt 95 to be hooked onto in order to hold the annular disk 98positioned in the opening 111. The detailed fea tures of the shearbolster assembly 95 shown in FIG. 11 is identical to that described inconnection with FIGS. 610 and 13. In the design of FIG. 11, however, thefastening assemblies 92 and 93 normally found between the supportmembers are omitted for obvious reasons.

In the FIG. 11 embodiment, cushioning may be provided through a cushionmeans of the form indicated generally at 112 and operatively associatedwith each of the support members 74 and 75. As is best seen in FIG. 12,cushion means 112 comprises an inner plate member 113 and outer platemember 114 having a block of elastomer 115 bonded thereto. The innerplate 113 is joined through bolts, welding or the like to the side web61) or 61 and then to the support members 74 or 75.

A plurality of cushion means 112 may be provided at spaced intervalsfrom one end of the car to the other the number being controlled by theparticular design and anticipated shock loads. When the car is impacted,the container acts through the shear bolster 85 to transmit thehorizontal or acceleration forces to the support members '74 and 75which in turn move across the top cover plate 71. Since the cushionmeans 112 has the inner plate 113 connected to the non-movable side webs6t) and 61 on the car as the outer plate 114 moves the elastomer 115 isplaced in shear. Total movement of the movable support members 74 and 75relative to the webs 6t) and 61 is limited to approximately the totalshear value of the elastomer 115.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, a schematic plan view of a skelton underframeof a typical container 116 or highway trailer with the wheels removed isillustrated in a normal loaded relation to the movable support members74 and 75. The container 116 has the usual transverse floor beams orcross beams 117 extending between side stringers or sills 118 and 119.End sills 120 and 121 complete the perimeter underframe of the container116. Each of the cross beams 117 rests directly on the upward facingportion of the movable supports 74 and 75 thereby providingsubstantially uniform distribution of the load over the entire length ofthe container 116.

In the schematic plan view of FIG. 14, chain anchor assemblies 122 areconnected to pad eyes 123 joined to the sides of the movable supportmembers 74 and 75 and suitable pad eyes 124 on the corner castings tohold the container positioned securely to the cushion rack and totransmit acceleration forces thereto. Obviously, other forms of anchorarrangements for joining the container 116 to the cushion rack areequally suitable so long as the cross beams 117 and end sills 120 and121 of the container 116 are permitted to rest directly on the movablesupport members 74 and 75.

As pointed out in connection with FIG. 1, collapsible fifth wheelsupport assemblies are provided as is illustrated generally at 21 and 22in FIG. 1. The detailed constructional features of the fifth wheelstands used in each of these assemblies is better shown in FIGS. -18 andinclude a fifth wheel supporting surface 136 provided with a verticalstanchion or post 131 which is pivotally connected to deck brackets 132and133 welded to the deck of the car. A diagonal brace 134 is providedwith a rack attaching portion 135 at one end, while the opposite end ofthe diagonal brace 134 is pivotally joined to the vertical stanchion orpost 131. An additional diagonal brace 136 is provided with a similarattaching arrangement with the two braces 134 and 136 being joinedtogether in the area of the rack attaching portion by a transverse brace137.

As is best seen in FIGS. 15-18, the movable support members 19 and 21are each provided with identical attachment brackets 136 welded beneaththe inturned flanges 40 and 41, respectively. Each of the attachmentbrackets 136 is of identical construction and co-operates with the rackattaching portion 135 on the associated diagonal brace in an identicalmanner and therefore description of the detailed features will belimited to those on the diagonal brace 134. Bracket 136 is provided withan elongated slot 137 which slidably receives a tongue 138 extendingfrom a plate 139 mounted at the end of the tubular brace 137. The tongue138 acts through attachn1ent bracket 140 to guide the diagonal braces asthe stand is raised and lowered.

A retainer pin 142 is carried on the diagonal brace by means of a chain143 or the like and when inserted through. the plate 139 into thebracket 140 serves to lock the fifth wheel stand assembly in the uprightposition shown in FIG. 16. The retainer pin 142, may be of the typecommonly known in the fastener art as a self-retaining bolt having atleast one expansible ball member 144 which is movable radially outwardlyafter insertion of the pm in the annular opening provided in theattachment brace 140. As is more evident in the enlarged view of FIG.18, the pin 142 is inserted and the ball member automatically extends tomaintain the diagonal braces 134 and 136 securely locked to the movablesupport members 19 and 20.

When impacts are applied to the car, they are transmitted through thediagonal brace 134 to the support members 19 and 20 from the trailersupported on the fifth wheel stand. When the forces are of sufficientmagnitude to overcome the resisting force of the cushion means, thevertical stanchion 131 pivots about the deck brackets 132 and 133 as themovable support members 19 and 20 reciprocate against the cushion means.For obvious reasons total cushion travel of the rod is limited to arange of values which permit the vertical stanchion 131 to a reasonableswing. If long travel cushioned movement of the rack is desired, forexample up to forty inches, the vertical stanchion 131 is mounted on themovable supports 19 and 20 through a cross brace extending between thesame.

From a consideration of the foregoing, it can be appreciated that thepresent invention provides an extremely flexible lading supportingarrangement which is of simplified and accordingly economical design.The rack arrangement provides continuous vertical support along thecontainer to reduce load concentration without requiring special ladingattachments. Loading of containerized lading can be accomplished byexisting facilitie since the car design will accommodate existingmethods.

Although the foregoing cushion rack and lading attachment arrangementhas been described in connection with but a few embodiments, it willbecome immediately obvious to those skilled in the art that departuresmay be made without departing from the inventive concepts embodiedtherein. Accordingly, any restrictions imposed on the scope of theinvention are to be within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A railway car particularly adapted for transporting lading in modularunits including highway trailers, containers and the like comprising,transversely spaced side sills, a center sill of box-like constructionincluding a pair of spac d side web portions extending longitudinallybetween a pair of spaced truck assemblies, a bottom cover plate joiningsaid spaced side web portions along lower marginal edges to hold thesame in spaced relationship and resist tensile loading, a top coverplate joining said spaced side web portions at upper marginal edges,said top cover plate extending transversely beyond each of said side webportions thereby defining a longitudinally extending transverselyprojecting flange portion along each side of said center sill adapted totransmit loads received thereon to said vertical side web portions,flooring means disposed between said side sills and said center sill ata level below said projecting flange portions of said top cover plate,movable support means in overlying relation to at least a portion ofsaid top cover plate, said movable support means including transvenselyspaced first and second load receiving members extending longitudinallyof the car and being slidably mounted on said marginal flanges of saidcover plate of said center sill, said movable support means eachcomprising a substantially U-shaped section embracing said respectiveflanges and including a substantially horizontal load receiving surfaceoverlying and extending substantially continuously the length of saidtop cover plate of said car and adapted for engaging the underside ofcontainers between end sill portions thereof, and means interconnectingsaid movable support means to said car to cushion the longitudinalmovement of said movable support means as it moves relative to said carin response to impacts applied thereto.

2. The railway car of claim 1 wherein said cushion means includeselastomer means attached along one face to said side webs between saidfloor lever and said projecting flange portion of said top cover plateand along the other face to said movable support means to limit thelongitudinal movement therebetween to the shear value of said elastomermeans.

3. The railway car of claim 1 including shear bolster means mounted onsaid movable support member and adapted to engage the end of a containerthereby to transmit horizontal forces to said movable support members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,223,275 11/1940 Valenzuela 105-366 2,553,636 5/1951 Dath.

2,733,916 2/1956 Dentler 213- X 2,868,368 1/1959 Beach.

2,960,043 11/1960 Clejan -368 2,973,174 2/ 1961 Stanwick et al 105-369 X2,988,019 6/1961 Stough 105-369 3,102,497 9/1963 Candlin et al. 105-3683,144,838 8/1964 Shaver et al. 105-368 3,161,151 12/1964 Johansson105-368 3,163,129 12/1964 Gutridge 105-368 3,168,876 2/1965 Clejan105-368 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner. D. E. HOFFMAN, AssistantExaminer.

1. A RAILWAY CAR PARTICULARLY ADAPTED FOR TRANSPORTING LADING IN MODULARUNITS INCLUDING HIGHWAY TRAILERS, CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING,TRANSVERSELY SPACED SIDE SILLS, A CENTER SILL OF BOX-LIKE CONSTRUCTIONINCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED SIDE WEB PORTIONS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLYBETWEEN A PAIR OF SPACED TRUCK ASSEMBLIED, A BOTTOM COVER PLATE JOININGSAID SPACED SIDE WEB PORTIONS ALONG LOWER MARGINAL EDGES TO HOLD THESAME IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP AND RESIST TENSILE LOADING, A TOP COVERPLATE JOINING SAID SPACED SIDE WEB PORTIONS AT UPPER MARGINAL EDGES,SAID TOP COVER PLATE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY BEYOND EACH OF SAID SIDE WEBPORTION THEREBY DEFINING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING TRANSVERSELYPROJECTING FLANGE PORTION ALONG EACH SIDE OF SAID CENTER SILL ADAPTED TOTRANSMIT LOADS RECEIVED THEREON TO SAID VERTICAL SIDE WEB PORTIONS,FLOORING MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SIDE SILLS AND SAID CENTER SILL ATA LEVEL BELOW SAID PROJECTING FLANGE PORTIONS OF SAID TOP COVER PLATE,MOVABLE SUPPORT MEANS IN OVERLYING RELATION TO AT LEAST A PORTION OFSAID TOP COVER PLATE, SAID MOVABLE SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING TRANSVERSELYSPACED FIRST AND SECOND LOAD RECEIVING MEMBERS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLYOF THE CAR AN BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID MARGINAL FLANGES OF SAIDCOVER PLATE OF SAID CENTER SILL, SAID MOVABLE SUPPORT MEANS EACHCOMPRISING A SUBSTNAIALLY U-SHAPED SECTION EMBRACING SAID RESPECTIVEFLANGES AND INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL LOAD RECEIVING SURFACEOVERLYING AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY THE LENGTH OF SAIDTOP COVER PLATE OF SAID CAR AND ADAPTED FOR ENGAGING THE UNDERSIDE OFCONTAINERS BETWEEN END SILL PORTIONS THEREOF, AND MEANS INTERCONNECTINGSAID MOVABLE SUPPORT MEANS TO SAID CAR TO CUSHION THE LONGITUDINALMOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE SUPPORT MEANS AS IT MOVES RELATIVE TO SAID CARIN RESPONSE TO IMPACTS APPLIED THERETO.